No effect of triheptanoin on exercise performance in McArdle disease

Objective To study if treatment with triheptanoin, a 7‐carbon triglyceride, improves exercise tolerance in patients with McArdle disease. McArdle patients have a complete block in glycogenolysis and glycogen‐dependent expansion of tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), which may restrict fat oxidation. We hypothesized that triheptanoin metabolism generates substrates for the TCA, which potentially boosts fat oxidation and improves exercise tolerance in McArdle disease.